http://www.resource4thepeople.com/defectivedrugs/nuvaring.html
Resource4thePeople announced today it is informing consumers about an important hearing scheduled in consolidated federal NuvaRing lawsuits alleging that women who used the popular contraceptive suffered serious blood-clotting side effects.
The judge overseeing the lawsuits has scheduled a status hearing for June 21, 2013 at which lawyers for the plaintiffs alleging these side effects and NuvaRing defense attorneys will inform the judge about the progress of more than 1,090 lawsuits involved in the litigation, according to the court file.*
Among the items to be discussed at this hearing, according to the court docket, is the disposition of the six trial pool cases that have been selected by the judge, said Resource4thePeople.
The agenda shows that the judge is moving forward toward resolving these cases. As he does we are answering inquiries from consumer about their eligibility to join in this litigation or file their own actions elsewhere and want to assure them that our national network of attorneys is continuing to accept cases involving alleged NuvaRing blood-clotting side effects.
The cases that have been consolidated before U.S. District Judge Rodney Sippel involve common allegations that are summed up on the courts multidistrict litigation web site and include the following language:
NuvaRing is a prescription contraceptive device used by women throughout the United States. The individual plaintiffs in this matter claim that use of NuvaRing caused them injuries. They have filed suit in several state and federal courts alleging that the manufacturer of NuvaRing failed to adequately warn of the risks associated with the use of the product, and/or that the NuvaRing product is otherwise defective and unreasonably dangerous. **
The information on the web site was posted after the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated the NuvaRing cases on August 22, 2008, and transferred the cases to Judge Sippel to conduct pretrial evidence-gathering for all of the cases.
The first bellwether trial from a pool of federal lawsuits involving claims that the NuvaRing puts women at higher risk of suffering blood clots than other contraceptives has been scheduled to begin in October.
Meanwhile, more NuvaRing lawsuits involving similar allegations are being filed, and one of the most recent*** was filed by a Philadelphia woman who claims she suffered a venous sinus thrombosis and an intracranial hemorrhage last year.
In her lawsuit, the woman is claiming that those problems were caused by blood clotting caused by her use of a NuvaRing IUD over seven years. In her court filing, the woman said she has been forced to undergo a daily Coumadin regimen for her health problems, and suffers from depression and social anxiety.
Named as defendants are Organon Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., Organon International Inc. and Schering-Plough Corp., who, according to the court file, allegedly falsely marketed and sold the NuvaRing as a safe, efficient alternative to birth control pills.
As with the NuvaRing lawsuits in the multidistrict litigation, the Philadelphia woman claims that the defendants were negligent in not fully informing the public and health care professionals about increased risk of blood-clotting from the use of the contraceptive, according to the court filing.
The allegations cited in the multidistrict litigation claim that the NuvaRing, described by company officials as the first hormonal IUD, puts women at risk of suffering blood clots that can lead to life-threatening health problems because of the hormone mixture that prevents pregnancies.
The NuvaRing was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2001 after being created by Organon as a flexible IUD, or ring, hence the name. The IUD releases a low dose of etonogestrel and estrogen over three weeks, providing women the flexibility of a monthly contraceptive.
This flexibility was one of the marketing factors that made the NuvaRing what was described as an easy and healthy contraceptive choice to women who were not satisfied with the side effects caused by birth control pills and the necessity of taking them each day.
However, on Oct. 27, 2011 the FDA released the findings of government research that put women who used the NuvaRing or other IUDs with a similar mixture of hormones at a 56 percent higher risk of suffering blood clotting that led to deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms than women on birth control pills.****
Resource4thePeople also notes that NuvaRing has now posted warnings about the increased risks of suffering blood clots on the companys web site under the heading of IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION.*****
"Our legal consultations can spell out the options available to women who may have suffered health problems from blood clotting, such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolisms, strokes and heart attacks," said Resource4thePeople.
Sources:
** http://www.moed.uscourts.gov/node/117
*** Case No. 2:13cv0099, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
****http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/UCM277384.pdf FDA Oct. 27, 2011
***** http://www.nuvaring.com/Consumer/index.asp
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